Official Position of the Ministry Regarding Screening of Oliver Stone’s Film “Revealing Ukraine” on TV Channel 112 Ukraine

The Ministry of Information Policy of Ukraine believes that the intention of TV channel 112 Ukraine to air a propagandistic film by Oliver Stone titled “Revealing Ukraine” threatens Ukraine’s information security.

The Ministry deems unacceptable the airing on Ukrainian TV channels of video materials that overtly spread anti-Ukrainian narratives of Kremlin propaganda and manipulations used by the Russian Federation in its hybrid warfare against Ukraine.

The information contained in the film “Revealing Ukraine”, which title was rendered into Ukrainian as “In Fight for Ukraine”, has been contrived with a view to advancing propagandistic narratives of the aggressor State, many of which have already been debunked or dismissed both by Ukraine’s authorities and civil society groups and volunteers that oppose the spread of disinformation in Ukraine’s information environment.

In particular, an analysis of the information available indicates that Oliver Stone’s film discards any forms of balance in conveying information and furthers Kremlin propaganda that alleges that the Revolution of Dignity was controlled by the United States; that the Russian Federation has no connection whatsoever to the Donbas aggression; that the seizure of Ukrainian seamen in the Kerch Strait was a provocation of Ukrainian authorities; and so on.

The advancement of said propagandistic narratives on the heels of the Ukrainian parliamentary election through the screening of the film on Ukrainian TV channels is meant to tense up and derail the social, political and economic situation in Ukraine and to facilitate special information operations carried out in Ukraine by the aggressor State in order to project Ukraine’s tarnished image in the world.

The provisions of the Doctrine of Information Security of Ukraine define such facts as threats to Ukraine’s national security in the information environment. Furthermore, the video material in question seeks to justify Russian aggression and deceive global audiences about the true reasons for the occupation of particular areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and of the Crimean peninsula.

The Ministry deems that the airing of the overtly propagandistic film on the Ukrainian TV channel is yet another step in a large-scale anti-Ukrainian campaign being waged by the aggressor State, which is designed to discredit Ukraine in the world, subvert national unity, and incite interethnic conflicts and enmity within Ukraine.

With a view to protecting the information sovereignty of our state and countering external negative influences, the Ministry calls upon all competent authorities, including the National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine and the Security Service of Ukraine, to provide an assessment of the actions of TV channel 112 Ukraine and take immediate appropriate action within their respective competences.